“Mr. Relevent” - It’s Brock Purdy’s Time To Shine
The last pick in this years NFL Draft, Brock Purdy, is getting the opportunity most can only dream of.
Everyone always wants to be 1st, and when it comes to the NFL draft it’s no different. Players will train and play their butts off for a chance to be seen as the greatest player in their draft class, and be taken with the first overall pick, cementing their place in NFL history before even taking the field. It’s an honor like no other to be taken 1st overall, and the 1976 draft was no different.
The first overall pick in ‘76 belonged to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and they selected Lee Roy Selmon, a defensive end from the University of Oklahoma who definitely lived up to the first overall hype. Selmon became a 5 time All-Pro player, the 1979 Defensive Player of the Year, and was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1995.
Unlike previous drafts though, in 1976, for the first time ever, people were interested in the last overall pick.
Whether it’s recess in elementary school, or in pro sports, no one wants to be last, but the idea of Mr. Irrelevant changed that. In 1976, Paul Salata, a former NFL wide receiver came up with the idea to celebrate the underdog, That led to the first official Mr. Irrelevant, Kelvin Kirk, getting treated like royalty in Newport Beach for a week, and the tradition has continued since.
The Mr. Irrelevent celebration was a fun way to draw attention to the team and players, helping themselves to be remembered, even if the pick amounts to nothing, which most of the time, it does.
In 2022, the San Francisco 49ers had the chance to make the final selection in the NFL draft, to choose Mr. Irrelevant for the fourth time in their franchise history, a pick that was expected to be soon forgotten. With the last pick, 262nd overall, they selected Brock Purdy, a quarterback from Iowa State.
Purdy had a very good collegiate career for the Cyclones. He left the school as the all-time leader in touchdown passes and passing yards, as well as holding the single-season records for both, and was a first-team All-Big 12 selection two times, helping lead his squad to numerous big wins. Still, he was seen as a fourth-rounder at best, and when he fell to the Niners at the end of the 7th round it seemed like he would be fighting for the third-string QB spot with Nate Sudfeld, and had a longshot chance at being Trey Lance’s backup if Jimmy Garoppolo got moved.
Purdy played well in the preseason, well enough for him to make the final 53-man roster and become the team’s third-string quarterback after cutting Sudfeld and the 49ers restructuring Garoppolo’s contract, keeping him with the team as Trey Lance’s backup.
Still, despite General Manager John Lynch’s comments about Purdy being relevant to the team, it seemed like he had a low chance of making an impact.
Injuries would elevate Purdy’s position in the depth chart, as the previous year’s 3rd overall pick, Trey Lance, the 49ers quarterback of the future, would require season ending surgery after a week two matchup against the Seahawks where he fractured his right ankle and injured ligaments around his ankle.
Purdy would now be QB2, backing up once-again starter, Jimmy Garoppolo.
Purdy’s first step onto an NFL field during the regular season was rather forgettable. His only play being a QB kneel to end a blowout 37-15 win against the Carolina Panthers.
His second time out offered more excitement. In a blowout 44-23 loss to the Kansas City Cheifs, Purdy substituted Garoppolo in the fourth quarter and subsequently completed the first pass of his NFL career, a 20 yarder to Ray-Ray McCloud. Later in the drive though, Purdy would throw an interception, and not receive the ball back as the Cheifs iced out the clock. It was a disappointing end to Purdy’s first real opportunity, but he wouldn’t disappoint next time he got the chance.
In the first quarter of Sunday’s game, Jimmy Garoppolo was sacked on 3rd and 6 at Miami’s 29-yard line. He wouldn’t return to the game.
The 49ers were able to convert the field goal, but the team was worried for Garoppolo. At this point the team had to have been worried for their quarterback, they didn’t know how bad he was hurt, but it didn’t look good.
Purdy, was now the quarterback for the 49ers, and he didn’t look to be overwhelmed, nervous, anxious, or anything of that sort. Purdy hopped into the game with the poise of a veteran, and on his first drive down the field, he scored a touchdown, the first of his career.
At the time of writing, per statsmuse, there have been 74,451 touchdowns in NFL history, each one has a unique story, but not many are history breaking. With the touchdown, a two-yard pass to the right side of the field, into the hands of full-back Kyle Juszczyk, Purdy became the first Mr. Irrelevant in NFL history to throw a passing touchdown.
And he didn’t stop there. Purdy would go on to throw for 210 yards on 25 completions in 37 attempts, good for a 67.6% completion rate. He would also throw another touchdown later in the game too, this one to Christian McCaffery.
While Purdy did have some mistakes, including an interception, his confidence never wavered, even while being blitzed or needing to thread the needle, in fact he seemed almost at peace under the pressure.
Purdy’s 88.8 passing rating in a game he didn’t expect to play in is very impressive, and it wouldn’t be too shocking for him to continue to play near this level, which the 49ers will hope he can do after it was confirmed Garoppolo would be out for the remainder of the season with a broken foot.
The 49ers have one of, if not the best, defenses in football, and numerous offensive threats from Deebo Samual, to Brandon Aiyuk, to Christian McCaffery that should help ease the pressure off of the young QB’s shoulders and help him from getting in over his head as he takes the reigns of the offense and settles in.
Even with Baker Mayfield being waved, it seems the team will roll with Purdy, with 49ers insider Matt Maiocco reporting that coach Kyle Shanahan “feels pretty good with where we’re at”.
That sentiment seems to be shared,
Jerry Rice also commented on Purdy on 95.7 The Game Monday morning saying “You could tell he was in complete control, and the players, they actually had confidence in him, so he did a fantastic job”.
Purdy’s play and the talent around him already have kept Super Bowl hopes alive for the 49ers.
When Purdy was drafted he said “at the end of the day I'm trying to go and help a team win the Super Bowl. That's where my mindset is at”, and he told reporters after the game that he prepares for every week as if he was the starter, which is a great mindset for a young QB in his situation to have and should help him adjust to his new role quickly.
If Purdy was able to lead the 49ers to the Super Bowl it would make him the most relevant Mr. Irrelevant of all time, and make for a great ESPN 30 for 30. It’s a treacherous road ahead, and chances are slim, it would be the craziest football story ever, but confidence is contagious, and Purdy has plenty of it.
Next week the Purdy-led Niners will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and their quarterback, the greatest of all time, Tom Brady. Brady himself was a late-round draft pick all the way back in 2000 who found himself starting due to injury.
A win against those Bucs could be the next chapter at the beginning of a great story.
Now, of course, I’m not saying Purdy will be the next Tom Brady, or win the Super Bowl, but he has already smashed every expectation there was for him. These 49ers are resilient, and with Purdy at the helm, they’re still fighting.
At the very least Brock Purdy has proved himself to be more than a third-string QB, he’s proved himself to be relevant.
